Nature nerd alert! 🤓
I have been hoping to see bird’s nest fungi ever since I learned that these amazing structures exist a few years ago. They are so fascinating.
Well, last week I found some! My kids and I were on our way into the library when I noticed some small orange fungi in mulch under a pine. I decided to take a closer look and excitedly called my kids over (who were at the door already). I’m glad it wasn’t very busy there - a lady with three kids crouched under a tree along the parking lot must have been a curious sight. 😁
There were not only one but TWO types: some Fluted Bird’s Nest and White-Eggs Bird’s Nest (aka Common Bird’s Nest). You can be sure I’ll be visiting that tree every time I go to the library.
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#noticenature#makeitahabit#becurious#lookclosely#natureiseverywhere#crucibulumlaeve#cyathusstriatus#birdsnestfungi

Look at these babies! These are tiny. Striate Bird’s Nest fungi are only 4-6mm wide. The ‘eggs’ peridioles pack thousands of spores and disperse them with the help of rain drops. They can be propelled up to 2m away. Pure magic!

Bird’s Nest fungi are part of the Nidulariaceae family of fungi, known for their fruiting bodies that resemble egg-filled birds' nests. The eggs are almost metallic looking, and up close they resemble shiny river stones. The periodoles, as the eggs are called, serve as protective sacs for the mushroom. When drops of water land in the cup, they eject the periodoles up to four feet away. This is where it gets really interesting: each periodole is connected to a funicular cord, essentially a long, fine thread with a sticky tail that unwinds several inches. As the periodole sails through the air, the cord may come in contact with, say, a twig or a blade of grass. It gets caught by it's tail and rapidly wraps around the twig, much like a high-flying game of tetherball. Here it remains until the right conditions present themselves for the periodole to release the spores.

Beautiful weather for #gardening . I spy a #fungus i cant identify. It feels hard as rubber at the moment .#cyathusstriatus thank you @mushroomphotos .Also commonly known as the fluted birds nest fungus.